EFFECT OF COMPUTER-ASSISTED LEARNING ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN BIOLOGY IN KENYA: A CASE OF MT-ELGON, BUNGOMA COUNTY.

Abstract

The study was designed to investigate the effect of computer-assisted learning (CAL) on secondary school students’ achievement in Biology in Mt-Elgon sub-county, Bungoma County, Kenya. The purpose of the study was therefore to investigate the effect of CAL on secondary school students’ achievement in Biology among the form three students in Mt-Elgon sub-county. The study was carried out in twelve selected secondary schools in Mt Elgon sub-county, where students have persistently scored low grades in the subject. The study therefore investigated the effect of CAL as an intervention on students’ achievement in Biology. The objectives of the study were: to investigate the effect of computer-assisted learning on students’ retention of biological knowledge, to establish the influence of computer-assisted learning on students’ attitudes towards Biology and to find out the influence of computer-assisted learning on students’ self-efficacy in Biology. The study was guided by the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) coined by Mayer (2001). Literature was reviewed using secondary such as books, journals and theses. The study was based on a pragmatist philosophical stance and employed mixed methods research methodology. The study adopted a quasi-experimental. Stratified sampling was used to separate secondary schools in the sub-county that were equipped with and without computers hence 6 schools equipped with computers and 6 schools without computers participated in the study. Simple random sampling technique was used to select the study respondents from the sampled schools. Data were collected from a sample of 274 students sampled from a population frame of 946 students. Teachers in the sampled schools with computers were interviewed. Data collection instruments included questionnaires, interview schedules and a computer-assisted learning achievement test (CALAT). Data were analyzed using both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (t-test) with the aid of SPSS version 20 and MS Excel statistical packages. The findings of the study showed that CAL was effective in improving the students’ retention of biological knowledge hence achievement as compared to the conventional approaches of teaching. The results also established that the Biology students in the experimental group showed positive attitude and self-efficacy towards CAL. The study concluded that computer-assisted learning programme has the potential to improve achievement, attitudes and self-efficacy in the learners. Based on the findings of this study, the researcher recommended that all schools should strive to be equipped with computers and the necessary software, Biology text books to have digital content included, and teacher preparation programs to include e-learning so that both learners and their teachers can access them for meaningful learning to take place. It is hoped that the findings of this study will be useful to Biology teachers, curriculum developers (KICD), policy makers and the general public about the necessity for introducing computers as tools for learning Biology.